Always Been Waiting For You
by Cereal-Killa
Summary: "You can't keep telling yourself that what seems right and challenging is always the best thing, Duncan. Sometimes, what we need and want, its right under our noses. It always has been." Duncan/Katie (HIATUS)
1. Always Been There Since The Beginning

I found this song deep in the depths of my iPod. I didn't use all the lyrics, just the ones that I know are important and that I could remember. But I changed the title because it just wasn't working for me. The song is 'Maybe Katie' by Barenaked Ladies.

If you haven't guessed yet, it's another Duncan/Katie fic, more because I'm beginning to see that there is no end to how much I can write for this couple. I'm going to make this a five-shot (is that a real thing?) and put some lyrics in each chapter. Hope you like it!

Always Been Waiting For You

"_You can't keep telling yourself that what seems right and challenging is always the best thing, Duncan. Sometimes, what we need and want, its right under our noses. It always has been." Duncan/Katie_

When Duncan was six, he had met Katie, who was three. She was tiny. She was drooling all over her mother. And her cheeks were red as a rose like his, from being pinched too many times that day. Let's just get this straight: Duncan hated it when his parents had cookouts. They always invited all the men to come on over and get tipsy, for the women to come over and talk about their weight and squeeze his cheeks until he wanted to punch them. Duncan felt for Katie. As a younger kid, her jaw was probably worn out from all the middle aged ladies rough fingers.

Katie had long lashes, and she was ultimately jumpy. Her mother kept droning on and on: "Oh, you just see her and Elizabeth's daughter, Sadie! They are just two pea's in a pod, and we always go out and buy them matching outfits… Yes, if only Duncan was a girl, I'd buy him a few dresses too! Speaking of Duncan, how are you doing sweetie?" Again, his cheeks were pinched. He faked a smile and tried to get out of her grasp as fast as possible.

Duncan's mother flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Well, you see, I always wanted a little girl, but it was Alex who always said it was gonna be a boy, whether we liked it or not. I guess he was right, but I'm glad Duncan is-" She stopped when the grill caught on fire, Duncan's father scrambling around drunkenly with all the other men, shouting about where was some water when he needed it. His mother sighed, and Katie's mom asked Duncan if he would watch Katie for a moment.

Duncan, who tried to protest, looked defeated as the two mothers ran off in search for help. The crowd had all headed over to grill, too much commotion for a such a tiny fire, but this was his parents cookout. Somehow they always got more interesting than needed or intended to be.

Katie took her thumb out of her mouth, and finally spoke to Duncan for the first time. "Want to play?" All her words came out separated and quiet, her mouth barely able to form them. Duncan thought that there was actually a time when he sounded that cute and innocent. Of course, he still did, but Duncan didn't like to think that way. He was a man. A man who wasn't cute.

He curled his lip at her. "What do you know how to play?" He highly doubted the talent skill of a three year old. He thought of how she probably wanted to play 'duck duck goose' or something lame like that. He hadn't played those games in ages. He could just imagine if his best friend Cliff saw him playing with a three year old. That would be SO embarrassing.

Being only three years of age, Katie had yet to understand sarcasm, so she began to think about what they could play. Of course, there being only two people, nothing seemed to fit. She then thought of her most favorite game in the world, the one she had played with her dad all the time.

"Play 'Ring 'Round the Rosie's'!" Before Duncan could even begin to say no, she grabbed his hands and began to spin. For a three year old, she had A LOT of strength. She laughed happily and began to sing the words without much rhythm but enough gusto for Duncan to recognize the old song.

"Ring 'Round the Rosie!" She shouted, pulling Duncan around. A few of the people who had been staring at the fire turned to look at them, and Duncan's face went a deep shade of red. He'd rather have a hundred pinches on his cheeks than have everyone turn and watch this, but there was no getting out of Katie's grip. She was laughing like crazy and holding his hands, smiling real wide as if to tell him to join in the song anytime he felt like it. "Pocket full of Ponies!" At the word 'pony', he began to realize that she didn't actually seem to know the song, but that didn't seem to be stopping her from singing it even louder.

"Ashes, ashes!" She yelled, and as more people stepped around to watch them with smiles plastered to their faces, he noticed another face in the crowd- his best friend, Cliff. Duncan mentally face-palmed himself. _No, no, not here! _If it was even possible, his face got even more red. He was sure he looked like a giant tomato by now, but Katie just kept looking at him happily.

"We all fall down!"

Oh no, oh no-

But, unfortunately, oh yes.

Katie let her full weight down so she slapped the ground with her rear end, taking Duncan down with her. He hit the concrete patio so hard it knocked the breathe out of him. Katie giggled and laughed. Duncan noticed that one of her pigtails had come undone, her black hair widely spilling over her shoulder.

Everyone of the people around them clapped and said "How cute!" Their looks were of nothing but a subtle look of adoration, but one face stood out in the crowd.

Cliff snickered, his whole body shaking with laughter. He mouthed the word _'Lame!' _to Duncan, and kept laughing heartily. Without a doubt, Duncan knew Cliff would be telling everyone at school tomorrow that a three year old girl had made him land right on his butt. He would tell everyone that Duncan had 'danced' with a girl, so he must have cooties. He would make Duncan look like a fool.

Duncan's face went from red to purple in a matter of seconds, as he charged at Cliff and pushed him down. "I'm not lame!" Duncan shouted, throwing little tiny punches that were as close as he was gonna get to a lick. No matter what, it still looked like it was hurting Cliff a lot, so it was worth it.

Duncan's mother took him off Cliff, shouting at Duncan "What were you thinking?" and "You are in so much trouble, young man!" But as Duncan's mother whisked him away from Cliff, all he saw was Katie's small face, no longer laughing, but in a stiff, shocked frown. It looked as though the moment where Duncan's fist had made contact with Cliff's face was haunted in her eyes, branded in her mind.

Duncan stuck his tongue out at her, as if to say, _Don't ever play with me again, kid, _and by the look on her face, he was sure she got the message. But then she started to bite her lip, her whole body started shaking. Then she started to cry.

Duncan didn't get to see any more than that. He didn't get to see the black eye he had given Cliff, his Dad's missing eyebrows lost in the heat of the fire. But the moment that a tear dropped down Katie's face seemed to be etched in his mind too, as though something beyond his own imagination had clicked in both their minds.

_What's so maybe about  
What's so maybe about  
What's so maybe about Katie?_

A/N: So I'm not going to do the whole thing when they're kids, no, I just wanted to introduce to you the people around them and themselves. I'm trying to keep them in character, so if I'm getting OC, tell me. Please. Because the last thing I wanna do is screw it up and make them something they are not.

I'm going to try to update soon, but with school starting and everything the soonest I can promise is once a week, but you never know. I might just find some time on my hands. Thanks to anyone who has reviewed to my other Duncan/Katie stories, it just fills my heart up with joy, I tell you. It really does.

OK, so thank you for reading!

Love, Cereal :D


	2. Always Been Living My Lonely Life

Always Been Waiting For You

_What's the use in hesitating?  
Can't you see that Katie's waiting?  
Just because her youth is fading  
Doesn't mean that she's not worth dating_

If memory serves, Duncan couldn't really think of a time when he hadn't wanted to get out of his house. He couldn't envision himself saying that leaving his house would be hard, that it would make him miss the people there.

When Duncan had left to pursue his own dreams of architecture, he had gone to the farthest college he could go to. It was the only reason he had went to college, to get away from the old rinky-dink town. He had gotten a degree, actually tried, and kind of liked how good it felt.

But then again...

There was something about his home town that he had missed, whether it was his old bedroom that he had lived in for eighteen years, whether it was his old pals whom he hadn't seen in three years, or maybe it was just the feeling of being there. The entire time Duncan was gone, he couldn't place it, but as soon as he drove up to his old house, he knew what it was. Although Duncan had always questioned his parent's sanity, although he had always thought that he would be better if he was someplace else, he knew what had been missing.

As he walked up to the door and stared at his mother's soft face, as her eyes started brimming with tears as she wrapped him in a warm hug, as he saw his Dad's eyes stare at him from his old chair, as his Dad smiled lightly at him, as though he had missed him with a passion Duncan would never understand: as all this happened, it was apparent.

Duncan had missed that feeling of belonging here. He has missed the feeling of being wanted. And it ached to know that he had been missed. All he could was close his eyes and smile, taking in the old scent of cookie dough and cigar smoke. He was finally home.

_Always Been Waiting For You_

Katie couldn't believe it. She had grown up. She was eighteen, and now, finally... she was doing what had always seemed so far away, as though it was just a dream that everyone talked about, and she felt her knee's go weak with the thought of it. Tomorrow, she would be graduating high school. Finally.

"Finally!" Sadie screamed, making Katie jump. "We're done, Katie! We went through high school and we made it." Katie watched as Sadie jumped up and down on her bed. Katie's mouth was dry. She remembered back in middle school, when she had promised herself that everything good would happen in high school. Her boobs would grow to fit a 32 C cup, she would be cheerleading captain, she would find the perfect guy.

None of that had happened. She was still a B cup, she watched as Heather took the stage as cheerleading captain and Katie was well, at the bottom of the pyramid, and a guy? Yeah right. There was no such thing as the perfect guy. None of them liked her. And she truly didn't like any of them. They probably didn't like her because she wasn't the cheerleading captain, because she wasn't a size C, because she wasn't the perfect girl she had wished she would be.

She got up from Sadie's bed, picking up her bag. "Are you leaving?" Sadie asked, in the voice only a best friend could ask. Sadie had been torn when Katie had gotten into a different college than her. They were only a mile apart, but still, it did break Katie's heart a little. She had never really done anything this huge without Sadie, but she couldn't focus on that. She had been trying harder to separate her life from Sadie's.

Katie sighed. "Yeah," She scratched her head, a habit she had tried to stop doing. When she figured out that she had the family curse of terrible dandruff, she had tried to keep her hands out of her head as much as possible, which wasn't really easy. She found herself doing it more and more whenever she was sad. "I gotta get ready for tomorrow and everything, you know." She said goodbye to Sadie and left the house, giving Sadie's mother a hug and her father a wave, and walking out to the streets.

She remembered the way she used to walk down the streets, without a care in the world and without any concern. But now... She tried to calm down, but she was always watching crimes shows with her mother. The statistics of sexual assaults were nerve wracking, and it didn't do her any good that it was nine at night. She didn't have a car yet, which pissed her off to no end. Did she mention that another promise on her list of things to do in high school was get a Ferrari?

She tried to think of something to take her mind off of those thoughts but they were clouding her mind. She tried to think back to accomplishments she could call her own, but none of them seemed significant. Katie came to a stop as she realized that nothing was significant about her. Nothing she could see. How could she expect a guy to want her, for someone to think she had the qualities of being a captain of anything, how could she expect anything when she couldn't even find anything that she cared for about herself? She started to feel tears brim in her eyes, but gasped when she heard a voice. "Are you OK?"

_Always Been Waiting For You_

Duncan had spent a few hours at his parents' house but soon had to get some fresh air. He had needed to explore the town. He loved his parents, but they were a bit suffocating. His mother had made a big dinner and pretty much forced Duncan to eat it. His Dad had sat quietly but something in his eyes had forced Duncan to ramble on about everything that had happened and what he had done. He didn't mention about how he had lost his girlfriend.

His parents had set him up with Courtney at the beginning of his senior year, and they hadn't been too sweet on each other, but they were good at making the feelings go away. Whenever they were pissed about something, the other was always there to, well, _help _them with the things that needed helping. Needs that needed. Wants that wanted.

But they hadn't been talking much lately, and Duncan soon realized that it was because Courtney had a pregnancy scare: he had sighed with relief when the test came back negative. He couldn't find himself to be that upset when she had said they were over, mostly because it wasn't as though they had ever seemed to support each other. It was like they had both just left each other with want they had started with. He couldn't say he hadn't enjoyed his time with her, but it would be a lie to say he wanted more.

He knew that as soon as his parents figured it out they'd be pissed. Courtney had a good looking future, and she was sure to make tons of cash. The real question was if Duncan would be able to do just as good without her.

After being pressured with his parents questioning glances, he had left before they could ask him about the dreaded relationship. He had left the house with a bitter taste in his mouth. Which sucked, because he had been hoping that the taste of his mother's chocolate chip zucchini bread would shift in his mouth for a while.

He was amazed at how well he remembered everything, how all the houses seemed familiar, how he saw a few people sitting on their porch, how they waved with recognition, how a few shouted, "Where you been, Duncan?". It only felt natural to say that he didn't know, but he back here, wasn't he?

Sooner or later though, it had gotten darker out, and he started to remember his old pranks with his buddies. A few of those pranks had turned into scandals which turned into things that got him sent to juvie which turned into the long list of memories he would much rather not think about.

He had lifted his head when he saw someone stop in the middle of the sidewalk. He walked towards them, thinking maybe they might be an old friend or someone he knew, but flinched when he heard some sniffling sounds. "Are you OK?" Duncan said.

The persons head whipped around, and Duncan realized it was a girl. Her face was small, her eyes red and wet. Her hair was jet black and her skin was a pretty caramel color. It reminded him of Courtney. He shivered at that thought.

The girl shook her head. "I'm fine, I just…" She stopped, squinting at Duncan's face. "Do I know you?"

Duncan was about to say that he sure didn't know her, but taking a second look, he wasn't so sure. Her face was familiar, as though he had seen a lot but never taken much notice. She wagged a finger at him, smiling, wiping her eyes. "You're… Duncan! I remember because you flooded the cafeteria back when I was a freshman!" She extended her hand, throwing Duncan off guard. Her mood had swung around fast. "I'm Katie!"

Duncan stared at her hand, hesitating before shaking it. As he took hold of her hand, a vivid memory shot through his mind.

_Ring around the rosy, pocket full of _ponies_!_

He suddenly remembered the incident all too much. He smiled a bit. "You're mom knows my mom, I think." He looked to Katie. He remembered her small hands wrapped around his.

Katie's eyes lit up. "Yes! That's it!" She seemed so excited about everything, Duncan couldn't help but grin. He hadn't been around someone that happy in a long time.

They walked for a few minutes, talked a bit. She was graduating tomorrow, and Duncan promised he would attend, which made her smile. She had been eighteen for two weeks, and was going to a college just on the edge of town to major in cooking. "It's one of the only things I'm good at."

Duncan had laughed saying he understood that feeling. She tried to question him, but sooner than later they had arrived at her house. Duncan was a bit disappointed, though he couldn't place why.

As Katie walked up the steps to her house, waving goodbye to Duncan, he remembered something. "Hey!" Katie turned quickly, leaving her key in the door. "Why were you crying?" He questioned, his eyes curious.

She stiffened, and suddenly he felt as though this big wall had been built between them. "Oh, I was just PMSing." She said, then scratched her head, saying, "No, I mean… I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked, embarrassed.

He nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."

_What's so maybe about Katie?_

A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys!

So the whole point of this chapter was to let you understand exactly what's going on in their lives. Next chapter will be a hundred times better, and I'm so sorry if it seemed a bit rushed. :/ I've been slipping with my writing.

Thanks for reading! :D 


	3. Always Been Not Too Good With Love

Always Been Waiting For You

_I don't know what the fuss is all about  
Just take it slow  
It's not like you can't live without her  
To and fro  
If you've got a shred of doubt then it's not worth it_

She felt her stomach turn.

Katie took a step out onto the stage. She nearly tripped over her gown, but forced herself to regain her balance. _Not tripping today, _she told herself. These were the little things she had been lecturing in her mind, repeating over and over, small chants to help herself focus today. Because it was **today. **This was the big day.

The chants weren't really working.

She walked on stage and took notice to everything that ruined her- her old shoes that hurt her feet, her big blue cap that was way too big, the fact that she probably looked like a blueberry, and OH GOD, everyone was here, her parents, her relatives, Sadie, everyone in town, EVERYONE! She was going to fall, can't fall, please don't, but she was so nervous, too nervous, she couldn't do this-

Duncan.

There he was, just like he had promised. This boy who she could barely remember from school, who she had run into just yesterday. Fashionably late, no chairs left for him in the auditorium, looking a bit miffed to be there, but dear lord, he there.

She felt her heart lift, and found herself smiling, the way she was supposed to on a day like this. This was her big day, and no matter how much she felt like she was gonna fall…

Duncan was here. Him. He was here. She didn't know why, but for some reason, that meant so much.

She couldn't recognize exactly how, but suddenly she knew that she wasn't going to trip.

_Always Been Waiting For You_

After sitting through the long class speeches and embarrassing hat throw he remembered all too well (much more than he really wanted to), Duncan sat up in his seat, which he had stolen from some poor father had really had to pee and couldn't even hold it during his daughter and/or son's graduation. But Duncan hadn't thought twice about it. He deserved to have his chair stolen.

And it was Duncan. He couldn't pass up the chance at a good steal.

He waited around for a few minutes, feeling out of place, He saw many old teachers standing around, who brought up bad, bad memories. He was getting ready to leave when he felt someone grasp his shoulder.

"You came." Katie exhaled in disbelief. Duncan didn't take it to be offensive- he wouldn't have expected himself to come either. But he had been watching TV when an ad for tampons came on. His train of thought had then rambled on like it loved to do.

Tampons.

PMS.

_No, I was just PMSing._

Katie!

He was never one to remember much of anything, so thinking about something he had just planned yesterday was odd. He usually didn't take time to remember such trivial thoughts.

But the look on Katie's face made him realize that maybe it wasn't so trivial.

He wrapped an arm around her instinctively. "Yup. Awesome thing you did up there. Graduating and all." The sarcasm was so thick that he was sure he must have offended her.

He didn't know why he felt so bad about that, but he did.

He felt that maybe he had been a bit too harsh, but Katie nodded with him, her bangs falling in front of her face. "Right, you know?" She looked at him with bright eyes, full of uber happiness he was sure to never understand about her. "I always thought it was going to be like a red carpet scene/ Like the Oscars or something, or maybe a segment you'd see on E! or maybe Celebrity Manhunt or like one of those really thick issues of People Magazine that is on the shelf for like five years."

Duncan was sure her jaw must have been sprained from smiling so wide and talking so fast.

But what freaked him out the most was that she made sense, that she was speaking so lightly, that she wasn't just talking to talk. Her words contained a bit of truth and honesty that Duncan wasn't used to. His words contained crude sarcasm and back-handed comments, so it was like a complete opposite from his normal conversations.

She was easy to talk to.

"Do you know what I mean?" She asked innocently, her dark eyes gleaming, a smile playing at her pink lips.

Duncan couldn't help but grin widely back. "Yeah," he breathed. "I do."

_Always Been Waiting For You_

Katie felt her heart pound as she asked again, "You want me to come to a party with you?" She had never felt more nervous in her life.

Duncan sighed on the other end of the line. "Is that so hard to believe?"

For Katie, it was. After packing up the past three days for college, which was about ten minutes away, but still, it was _away. _She had been adjusting to the fact that she and Sadie were splitting up. It was insanity. Everything was just going too fast and was making her a bit sad.

So the fact that Duncan was calling her up and asking her to a party, like a **date, **ceased to amaze her. "It's kind of hard to believe. Why would you want me to come?"

She had a point. He was older- he had better things he could be doing, older people he could be hanging out with.

He grunted. "You're not in high school anymore, Katie! There's no time to ask why! It's a party- your first bigger than school party." She could just imagine his smirk through the phone. "Are you nervous?"

She felt her face heat up. "Well of course I am!" Katie rubbed her arms. "Why wouldn't I be?" She stuffed a few more things in her suitcase.

Duncan sighed. "Come on! It'll be fun." She didn't know why he was pushing this so much, but then she thought about it. Duncan was nice, and funny, a bit crude, but still sweet, and really hot…

She tried to wipe those feeling away, almost afraid that he could hear her thoughts slipping out of her mind and through the phone. "OK." She spoke quietly. "So… it's like a date?"

Duncan was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, it's a date."

Katie felt herself squeak as he told her when he would pick her up tonight. As she hung up the phone, she couldn't help herself. She let out the loudest squeal she had let out in a long time.

And she had to say, it felt pretty damn good.

_Always Been Waiting For You_

Duncan couldn't really come to a conclusion on why he wanted Katie to come with him to this party. It was his best friend, Geoff's, he hadn't been to a party in forever, he needed a date.

None of these happened to be the reason, though.

Why Katie?

He shrugged it off, taking her hand and entering the house.

Who cared?

They walked around the party for a minute, with its dark setting and bouncing music. The food table actually looked pretty good. Duncan felt the feeling of a good party sinking in. Why had he avoided this life for so long? It was obvious that here was the place that he belonged.

He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. He felt himself flinched as he heard a gasp.

"No!"

Duncan turned to Katie with a raised brow. "What?" He said, muffled due to cigarette dangling from his lips. He pulled out a lighter, and was pissed when Katie tried to pull it out of his hand.

"What's the fuck is your problem?" He said roughly, with more force than he had meant to.

Katie looked at him with puppy dog eyes, her lip pushed out. "I didn't know you smoked." She looked to the lighter with disgust as he lit the cigarette, breathing it in slowly and blowing out a perfect 'O'.

Duncan looked to her with half lidded eyes. "Do you really not like it?"

Katie chewed her lip. "Please don't smoke." She said.

If anything, that wasn't what Duncan was expecting.

To tell you the truth, when he was with Courtney, she had always done her best to hide her feelings, always pretended as though she didn't care about the things that he did, like she didn't have the strength to care. Katie, though, was the complete opposite, literally begging him to stop and not that fearful for her pride.

It was kind of cute.

He sighed, putting out the cigarette into a tray nearby. "OK. For you."

Duncan almost vomited. Since when did he become so freakin' soft?

Over the course of the party, people talked with Duncan, welcoming him back, and many kids from school talked to her about plans and old memories. Over all, it was a good party.

Duncan met up with Katie a few minutes after one. "Enjoying yourself, babe?" He wrapped an arm around her waist.

She smiled at him brightly. "Yeah! This party is cool." She blushed a bit, but didn't try to hide her face from him. "I wouldn't mind coming to a few more."

Duncan smirked at her. "I wouldn't mind taking you to a few more."

Katie smiled at him so hard he was sure she might break her face, but he had to admit, it looked pretty on her, than simple Katie smile. He liked the way he cheeks came up, the way her eyes scrunched, the way her lips curled together to make one of the prettiest things he had seen in a long time…

Before he realized what was happening, he was leaning in.

He expected her to do something, to interrupt, to make some type of protest.

But that didn't happen.

And her soft pink lips touched his.

If he could say one thing about the way she kissed, it was that it was sincere, that it wasn't forceful or slow or not sure, that she knew what she was doing and made sure that he knew it. She wanted this. She wasn't shy as he brought his tongue to roam over hers, didn't do anything but pressed herself against him when he ran his hand through her hair, didn't say a word when he bit her lip. She just let it happen, and it was obvious that she liked it. She wanted it.

Duncan did too.

What was wrong with him.

He felt himself pull away, looking to her, as she touched her small lips, as she looked to oddly. "I'm sorry," Duncan started. "I can't-"

"It's fine." She said shakily. "I get it, OK?" Katie back up a few feet from him, taking small steps, trying to remove herself from him. "I'm pretty and everything, but you don't want anything serious. I know." She bit her lip, looking like she was going to cry. "I know."

And just like all those years ago, Duncan saw the tears running down her face. Her beautiful face.

She walked away from him, and he was sad to say that he didn't even make an effort to try and stop her.

Never in his life had he felt so dirty.

_What's so maybe about Katie?_

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I'm had tons of other things on my plate. I can't promise anything faster, but I won't leave this story hanging!

So yay! Duncan and Katie kissed, but some drama had to ensure. :(

Thanks for reading! :D


	4. Always Been Expecting The Worst

Always Been Waiting For You

_Can't you see her with her arms wide open  
She's everything that you've been hoping for  
Forever's not so long, stop moping_

_Do you know everyone you ever swore you'd love for life  
I don't know them anymore_

This was the way that everything seemed to go with him.

Duncan could remember how everything good always started out good, and then he always went and screwed it up. His first pet, Henry, the goldfish, had seemed like such a good idea to him. He had won him at a carnival, and it was lie if he said he didn't love that little fish. The first thing for him to take care of. His first thing to just have- his first pet to call _his._

Then Henry the goldfish jumped out of his bowl and committed suicide. Duncan was a witness, as was his father. They had watched as the small fish had jumped, slipped off the bowl, and plunged to the carpet below. And who ever knew carpet could be so deadly? Henry hit the floor with a thump, and Duncan stared in bewilderment. His father had sighed, rolling his eyes. "Dammit. Now the carpet is wet."

_And stained with fish blood! _Duncan was scarred. Flushing Henry's body down the toilet was the first letdown he could remember. And then things got worse- girls, juvie, and high school can have a big effect on people. He realized the way that things were going to go with him from now on- Duncan's life was destined to be one big give and take deal. He got something and then it was taken away from him. That's why you shouldn't count on maybe.

Because _maybe _Henry wouldn't have killed himself, _maybe _Duncan never would have went to juvenile hall when he was thirteen years old, _maybe _Courtney would have been right for him. _Maybe _didn't mean shit. And that was quite obvious to Duncan.

But most of the time, he got over things easily. This thing, that kiss with Katie that had happened almost six months ago, was still haunting him. And that was completely stupid.

He had been able to move into his own place in town, and he had actually gotten the idea of calling Katie every once in a while. It was tempting, but he couldn't bring himself to pick up the phone. What was he turning into? Some big sap, some guy who was only worried about love and kisses and some dumb girl who had shown up in his life and then run away as soon as he pulled back?

No, that wasn't him. He wasn't that guy. Because those guys were _maybe _guys. The kind of guys that Duncan pummeled into the ground.

It was get well into the middle of November, and his parents had spoke of Thanksgiving and catching up with the family. The thought actually seemed a bit appealing, though boring. His life wasn't all that busy at the moment- he had been working his same old, same old job, been making the same old, same old pay, and avoiding the same old, same old Katie's house. He had stopped walking around the neighborhood at night, afraid that he might run into her by mistake.

Of course, there was the side of him that was swelling with hope for that to happen, the one that kept saying that maybe seeing Katie again wasn't such a bad idea.

Maybe.

Duncan just shook those thoughts away. Because, yeah, maybe this was destiny or some of that other lame shit he never liked to think about. Maybe this was what would be good for him and make his life so much better. Maybe, maybe, maybe Katie was more than just some girl. Yeah, Maybe.

But maybe not.

_Always Been Waiting For You_

Katie sighed, grabbing the cups from the coffee shops counter as she sauntered over to her seat in the booth. Across from her sat Sadie and a blonde named Lindsay whom she had met at her new college. Lindsay was an uber happy blonde who seemed to perfectly match Katie- they both loved shopping, and clothes, and they had both been on the brink of not getting into college.

Sipping some of her coffee, Sadie smiled. "So I decided to take this new class, and it's actually really interesting! College is great, you know, for the first part of it." She looked to Katie with sorrow. "I really miss you sometimes."

Katie could totally understand- the feeling was mutual. Going to a different school that Sadie was terribly frustrating and out of her comfort zone. For as long as she could remember, Sadie had always been her balance, her shoulder to cry on, and the one to help her when in need. And now, thanks to them being separated, things weren't that easy anymore. She also missed their sleepovers which weren't even a fourth as frequent as they used to be- with all the homework college provided and the money she had to make from her job, she didn't have much free time.

Lindsay laughed. "Hey, at least you guys get to be together now." Lindsay wasn't the brightest girl, but she really did know how to make someone smile. Her blue eyes would light up and… and…

And all Katie could think about was Duncan and his beautiful baby blues that she just couldn't forget.

It really hurt her on the inside that she was so hung up over some guy she hadn't seen in half a year. Tucking her scarf tighter around her neck, she smiled at the two girls. She had told them about her brief not-so-much-of-a-relationship with Duncan, and they had both showed her sympathy, but yet she still thought about him all the time.

They all stepped out of the coffee shop, walking down the street as the cold air tickled Katie's nose. She couldn't help but let her mind drift away from their idle chatter, thinking of how much she missed her parents house, how much she didn't miss high school, and how she couldn't forget Duncan.

But that wasn't fair. She wasn't allowed to think about him, since obviously, he wasn't thinking of her. I mean, six months and not one phone call? But then again, she had been the one to walk away, and she couldn't really blame him for not chasing after her. If you were going after something, it kind of had to be worth chasing.

Maybe she was right. She remembered that night, when she had been walking along the streets of town, feeling so sorry for herself and feeling so much like a nobody. And then Duncan had just came around and made her feel like someone, something, like she was worth the time. And then he pulled away.

She felt dumb for not letting him explain himself, but the look on his face was the one she had seen a million times, the whole, 'I don't want anything serious' look that she was so freaking tired of. Duncan had surprised her, showing up to her graduation and asking her out even when he could have obviously taken anyone else. She had thought he was different. She had actually started to let herself hope.

And then she saw that look and she knew that she had to end it before it ever got started. She kept telling herself she was right for ending it there. Stepping on the leaves that had began to fall off the trees with shades of orange and brown, she repeated the little chant in her head that she was always telling herself- that things were fine, that he didn't have time to worry about stupid guys, and that she was just going through a phase.

(Yeah, a phase that lasted six months and was still going.)

No matter how many times she repeated it to herself, it wasn't making much of a difference. She was still unconvinced.

_Always Been Waiting For You_

Duncan nodded his head, pushing the phone between his shoulder and ear as he lifted another way-too-heavy bag. "Mmm hmm, I got it, Aunt Patchy. Yup, you want the full size bed this year, I know. Love you too." He let the bag fall to the floor with a huff, shutting off the phone. "Damn, how many bags do these people have?"

It was their house this year that had been chosen for the family gathering, and Duncan couldn't help but feel more exhausted than usual. Apparently, instead of the usual two living in his parents' house, there would now be fifteen, a big collaboration of aunts and uncles and cousins and old ass grandparents and people Duncan really wasn't fond with dealing with. Not that he didn't love them, just not all in the same house, at the same time…

His mother beamed at him, throwing some more bags into the four guest rooms. "Gosh, remember how you and all your brothers had such a great time in these rooms? Where my little babies grew up…" Duncan decided that was his cue to ditch, considering that his mother was about to go on an emotional rant. He exited the house and almost lost his breath at what he saw.

Damn. How long had it been?

Katie looked as great as ever, her jeans hugging her legs and her top hung low, letting Duncan get a pretty good view of the tops of her breast. And her face looked pretty much the same, just a bit more matured and tired. He wished he had worn his good shirt that day. Dammit, dammit, what was wrong with him.

Apparently, Katie was just as surprised to see him. She had no idea that when her parents had talked about 'staying with a friend' they meant Duncan's house! Katie's mother jumped out of her car, running inside and hugging Duncan's mother. "Hey, girl!" And that's when it hit them both- duh! Their mothers were best friends. How had they been so stupid?

It just went to show that they couldn't ignore each other forever.

In all truth, Katie thought Duncan looked pretty good. As he took their bags out of the car, his arm muscles clenching and unclenching, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander off. The first hour of settling in was quite unraveling- no one else knew about Duncan and Katie's little… incident six months ago, and neither of them wanted to bring it up. They were sure the other must have forgotten about it by now- it had been like, forever.

Katie was watching TV when Duncan entered the room, looking to her with wide eyes. He opened his mouth the speak, but then his mother's voice rang loud and shrill. "Duncan! Come up here and take Aunt Patchy's things downstairs- she doesn't get the full size!" Duncan sighed, and as the doorbell rang, he mumbled, asking Katie if she could get that as he ran up the stairs, away from her.

Katie sighed, wondering how harsh these next few days were going to be. Her and Duncan's relationship seemed to making little to no resolution, and every time he came around, her heart pounded out of her chest, much to her disliking. She tried to brush it off her shoulder as she opened the door.

The girl was very pretty, with those C cup breasts that Katie had always wanted. Her smile gleamed as she flipped her brown hair over her shoulder. Her dark eyes bored into Katie's, who had the sudden feeling that she should back down and not mess with this girl. "Hello, and may I ask who you are?"

Before Katie had a chance to answer, she felt Duncan's form behind her, stiffening as he turned to the girl. His voice was thick, and Katie looked back at him to see all the color drain from his face quickly. He stuttered his next few words-

"C-Courtney?"

Authors Notes:

Oh shit! That's right. I threw that in there. So, most likely, this story will end in the next one or two chapters. Yup, I'm ready to sum it all up.

Thanks so much for reading!


	5. Always Been Sorting Through Problems

Always Been Waiting For You

_What's the use in hesitating?  
Can't you see that Katie's waiting?_

Duncan felt his insides shrivel up at the utter look of amusement on Courtney's face. She looked like she was having a damn good time, as though this was _funny _to her. As she took her seat on the couch beside Katie, Duncan couldn't find the strength to make his legs move. Why was she here? Why now?

Courtney gave Katie a once over, smiling at her. Katie, however, had to force a smile back. She had no idea who this girl was but something in her gut told her that she needed to be nice to her. She held an authority that made Katie's spine shiver, a power that was hiding behind that smile, a fierce vibe that cause Katie's breath to hitch. When she looked at Courtney, it was obvious that she was successful by the way she held herself, that she was smartest person in this room and that she knew it and was flaunting it. She was beautiful, the whole room seemed to glow with her presence. Katie squirmed in her seat. That was the girl she had wished she could be. The one who lit up a place just by being there.

Also, the look of confusion on Duncan's face was enough to throw Katie off a bit. It was odd to see him without that cocky smirk or his usual bored expression. "So, Duncan. How have you been?" The way Courtney said his name, like she knew him, made Katie wish she could just shrink right then and there. She was starting to figure out exactly what this girl was to Duncan and she wasn't sure if she liked that thought or not.

Duncan chewed his lip. "Fine. Why are you here?" Courtney let out a long sigh, reaching for her purse, but before anyone could make another move, Duncan's mother decided to make her grand appearance as she waltzed downstairs.

"Duncan, thank you so much for helping-" Her words stopped as she started smiling widely at Courtney, and that's when Duncan felt his stomach drop. He had never told his parents about his and Courtney's break up all that time ago. How had he forgotten?

He guess it made sense though, Courtney had been a big thing in his life but he hadn't been thinking about her much anymore, not since… not since…

Katie. He turned to see what her reaction was to all of this and felt his heart sink when he saw her dodging out of the back door. Out of everything that was happening, all the confusion and explanations that needed to be said, Duncan's biggest urge was to go after Katie. If there was one thing he hadn't wanted to happen between them, it would be for Courtney to show up. Just when he was considering mending things with the younger girl, things had to go sour before they could even begin.

"Oh, Courtney dear, how are you doing? Duncan, why didn't you tell me our favorite girl was coming over?" His mother took Courtney in one of her large, overbearing hugs, and it was Courtney's turn to wear a look of confusion.

Duncan put his hand to his temples, not able to rip his eyes away from the open back door quite yet. "I didn't know she was coming, ma. Because Courtney and I aren't together anymore."

He didn't hear anything for a moment and felt his eyes pop open at the deep baritone that answered him. "When the hell did that happen?" He finally was able to turn his eyesight to the man beside him, who had a bland look spread across his face. His mother was no longer hugging Courtney, instead sending confused glances between both Courtney and Duncan as the scene went on.

His dad shook his head after not receiving an answer. "I guess a long time ago, apparently. Well, don't be a stranger, get Courtney whatever she needs to have." It was obvious that his father was a bit angry after hearing that Duncan had blown his chance with someone like Courtney, but he didn't want to make a scene. He gestured for Duncan's mother to follow him back upstairs as Courtney shook her head at the green haired man.

"You forgot to tell them we broke up?" She rolled her eyes and let out a sharp sigh, digging in her purse yet again. "Whatever, I don't care. I just came here because I needed to give you this." He looked to her with surprise when she pulled out an old wooden skull, and he felt his eyes narrow.

"Court-"

"It's scaring my roommates. I can't keep it, I don't want it, Duncan." She said, staring him in the eye, her look going soft. "We never really did patch things up, did we?" Her voice had turned into a whisper, and he felt his body slump with defeat at the finality of her words. "We're just… I don't know why I wanted to come here. I just brought this as an excuse. I just… we really never got off on the right note, you know? I still like you as a friend, Duncan, and I didn't want our breakup to ruin that but…" She smiled sadly at him, looking toward the door where Katie had just run out of. "…I don't think we really ever had that much in common, did we?"

Duncan shook his head at Courtney, biting his lip and starting to understand. He had felt the need to settle things with Courtney as well, to talk about everything face to face. When it all came down it, they had ended thanks to another one of their vicious spats, and that just hadn't seemed real enough. Now though, with Courtney saying everything out loud and ending it for good, Duncan felt somewhat… cleaner. Fresh, and though the whole relationship was past them now. "I'm glad you came." The words came out dull, however, contrasting to what he had said. He was still thinking of Katie and how hurt she had looked when Duncan's mother had hugged Courtney as though she was her daughter, when Duncan failed to explain anything to her at all.

Six months had changed nothing. He still felt exactly the same about Katie as he did before. And he was starting to believe that maybe she still felt that same way too. _Maybe._

He turned to Courtney, looking to her with a sincere face. "You know, when we broke up, I was pretty sure I wasn't ever going to find anyone out there. You were what my parents wanted, you were so successful, beautiful… and I was sure you were right for me. You completed what I didn't have. But I… I was wrong." He took a deep breath, nearing the door, looking into Courtney's eyes. "In a perfect world, Courtney, me and you would be right for each other. But maybe… that's why things aren't perfect."

He ran out of the door, not catching the smile that lit up Courtney's face. "I'm so glad you feel that way, Duncan." She dialed a number in her phone, grinning widely when the person picked up. "Cody? Yeah, we can go out on that date now." She giggled into the speaker, picking up her purse, and walking out of the front door into the driveway of the house. "I just had some things I needed to clear up." As she walked near her car, she took the wooden skull in her hands and ran toward the garbage can at the end of the drive, throwing it in with a smile. Thank goodness she could finally make this phone call without a guilty conscious.

Before Duncan could make it to the backyard beyond the patio, he was stopped by a stern looking face. "Gosh, son, I know we didn't talk for a while, but you could at least tell us about your love life every once in a while. Or at least your mother. She likes hearing about that shit."

Duncan looked at his father with annoyance, but stopped at the man's next words. "You can't keep telling yourself that what seems right and challenging is always the best thing, Duncan. Sometimes, what we need and want, its right under our noses. It always has been." Before he could respond, is dads steely gray eyes left his own as he brushed past his son. "Don't fuck it up this time." He whispered, walking back in the house.

Duncan, for once, responded to his dad without argument. "I'll try."

_What's so maybe about Katie?_

A/N: Can you say filler? Well, I had to, ok? Basically, it's setting up for the really girly ultimate cheese fest coming next chapter. Which is, in fact, the last chapter.

I know, ultimate sad face right? Well, whatever! Maybe I'll make another Duncan/Katie story, you never know about me! Haha, well thanks for much for reading, and please, if you can, review!

©2011 _Cereal-Killa (All Rights Reserved)_


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